Rotary roll clearer for draft frames



Sept. 16, 1952 w. F. BIRD 2,610,362

ROTARY ROLL CLEARER FOR DRAFT FRAMES Filed Nov. 17, 1948 INVENTOR: IViziworiiziflrai,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 16,1952 7 g .3 I i I V UNITED STATES. PATENT oFFicEj noLLit iilgAgt Enronnnanr I I I Pa., a 'cbrporat'ionpf Delaware Application November 17,1948, Serial No. cases .This invention relates to. draft frames for tentile fibers. More particularly it is directed to1a rotary clearer roll convenientlyqdriven from'a usual frame part. It mayreadily be applied .to existingframes and is an inexpensive feature of newframes. These improvements have application to those types of textileprocessing machinery inwhich wild fibers are given to licking. around a roll, apron or the like and forming an undesirable lap. The formation of a .lapwill sometimesrequire stoppage of the entire frame and. correction of the fault before processing can be: continued. These improvements provide for positioning the clearer roll in contact with the roll to be cleared and a driving means to rotateit in a direction opposite to the roll or member it clears andat any desired rate.

It is believed that this characteristicof' fibers to lap accounts, to a considerable extent, for certain design features of .Well known type frames; for example, the Bradford spinning frame often used on long wools and mohairusually has front rolls about 4" in diameter, Whereas much of the equipment used for shorter fibers has front rolls in the range of 1'. to 1% indiameter. 1 It further appears togbe .widelyrecognized that fiber length and fineness areimportantin the selection of processing machinery. is strikingly borne out by the processing of synthetic fibers as has been donefora. great: many years on practically all types of yarn preparing ma-. 'chinery, enthose sometimes; referred, to as worsted. woolen. .-ctton-,.. flaxzfand. thelike- Similarly vA. F. Barker, for example, hasas; early as. .1929, suggested in the Journal ;-of Textile Science that wool-might beclinpedafter about 2' growth and processed on so calledqcotton ma:- chineryi, Additionally, withinthe systems, for example ,the worsted, French, Anglo Continental or Bradford and individual machines in each have allgbeen: recognized as having, such application for drawing getc. within certain ranges of textile fiber length or, condition such as combed. or uncombed.

Itnwill be; appreciated then that inzdrafting equipment. designed for universal use with respect to fibersof aboutl" to approximately 1-2,":in length or, in equipment designed for tdraftlnglon fibers and where. an attemptis rmade to'zcontrol the fibers-in the drafting area up. to; a point-.very close to the nip of the drawingpff rolla itsissdee si-rablej ,to .u'serrelatively small front :r'oll of .say

,"iol inis'. .(Cl. 19 131) 2' 1 sometimes occur in small roll machines processing long fibered stock. Clearer rolls or means are conventionally used to prevent lapping. Usually the clearer meansare fri'ctionally driven rolls or are fixed and do not rotate. Neither of these types is satisfactory for processing fibers like mohair which has a long average length or for processing certain blends havin similar characteristics.

I have found that a draft frame roll suchv asa lower front roll when cooperating with a clearer roll operating in contact and in the op q ite di; rection may, insofar as lapping is concerned, function very similar to a large roll and in some respects better, as when the clearer surface moves slightly slower than the roll surface. What laps as will occur are soft as there is no tendency to draft, and the laps are readily removable. vIt is believed that both contact and reverse direction are essential to'prevent fibers from passing between the rolls. Cutting of laps, if such be necessary, may readily be done. forwardly of the nipwithahook knife. According to these improvementsI provide a clearer roll drivenin a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the roll or apronwhich it clears. My clearer iseasily removable although the need for removal is greatly lessened than in prior constructions of which I amaware. Also my clearerroll may continuously or inter.- mittently be in contact with the bottom roll by selection of proper configuration of the clearer surface. Thus an intermittent action may be simply produced with a'continuous drive. 7 The drive belt may be anelas'tic or 'nonelastic band or chain looped and joined so as topass around shafts or pulleys. When elastic, itmay hold the clearer against the bottom roll or the bottom roll and apron requiring only a guide for installation. The elastic loop may be formed from rubber and-the like or'by a spring. :Alternatively, fixed rotatable means such as a pulley or the clearer itself may be rotated by a simple elastic or nonelastic driving belt. The clearer surface may be a brush, felt, flannel or plush having straight or inclined pile. An object of my invention is-to providea clearer roll-particularly adapted. for installation and contact with a comparatively small front roll of draft frames. e a i Another object is to .provide improved clearer. roll mechanism in which the; clearer roll l n entin ;snags; assassin so tionito its companionrollor apron. 1.. Another object .ai-sJto rinrovide ;con 1 P92913301:

3 intermittent clearer action in a reverse direction to the roll being cleared.

Another object is to provide an operating and clearer roll operating in contact so as to func-v tion similarly to a large roll with respect to the formation of laps.

Another object is to provide an-eflicient clearer 7 7 These and other objects will be manifest from a consideration of the following description,

roll in operating contact with a lower delivery roll of a draft frame.

Fig. 2 is a similar front view showing the readily removable clearer roll fixed in position and the aligned relationship of the driving elements. Fig. 3 shows a polygon clearer roll which might be used in the combination.

Fig. 4 is a line elevation of a modification in which both the apron and a roll are cleared.

In Fig. 1 is shown a draft frame roll stand 20 having the usual front delivery rolls H], H, and pairs of feeding rolls 2, l3 and i4, [5. The bottom rolls are usually positively driven and the rolls i3 and i5 rotate at a substantially slower rate than the roll i i, aswill be understood, The rolls are supported in adjustable stands 16 and [1. Top rolls i2 and is may be moved with their companion rolls. rolls l4, l5 and l2, l3 provide for the ratch and fiber control. When fibers are longer-than the circumference of roll I I, they have an unusually strong tendency to lap around this roll ll The series of pairs of back and form a hard lap. Conventional clearers do not satisfactorily correct the difiiculty.

The front roll II is supported in frame roll stand 20. These are conventionally spaced at four spindle intervals. The roll Ii is less than 2 in diameter, preferably between 1%" and 2" even in frames capable of drafting strands containing fibers 3 or 10 inches in length.

A nose bar i8 is positioned close to the nip to support the apron I9, which is held under tension by weight 2i held in position at itsj'stud shafts 22 by lever 23 pivoted on frame" Ziliat 24. Pencil or tumbler roll 25 may also be supported by the nose bar it. 7 v t A" clearer roll 28, having a continuous'or intermittent pile surface 28, has a cross-likeextension 36, which fitsinto a recessedportion 32 of channel pulle 34. This pulley ,34 is preferably proportioned so as to rotate the clearer roll 26 somewhat slower than the frame roll.

The pulley 35 is fixed in the frame stand 29 by short shaft 36, the pulley being free to rotate. A similar channeled member .38 or recess 46 on the shaft 4| is aligned with 34. A round elastic or nonelastic closed loop member such as belt 42 connects the roll shaft M to the clearer roll pulley and rotates it. It is to be noted that while the clearer roll 26 rotates in the same direction as roll H; its. contacting side is moving in an opposite. direction. I 7

Fig. 2 shows a driving gear 44 for the bottom roll'shaft and thebelt arrangement. The other end of the clearer roll has a depressible support member 46 held outwardly by spring 48 in a manner known per se. This, of course-facilitates proper posiuomng'or the clearer roll. 5 f

Fig. 3 shows a polygonal clearer roll 50 and conventional supporting stud 54.

Fig. 4 is a modification in which an elastic or nonelastic belt drive may be used, the basic parts of the frame being the same and similarly numbered to the same parts in Fig.- 1. A fixed plate 60, slotted as at 6 I, 62 to receive the clearer roll 10, has locking pins 63, 64. When the clearer Hiis in slot 62, it engages both the apron i9 and bottom roll H. When in slot 6| only the bottom roll is cleared. This is the source of greater difficulty.

The clearer in has studs 12 which are guided in the slots 6! and 62. When the belt 65 is elastic, it will at once support the clearer roll 10 in contact with roll II and drive it in contact in the opposite direction. A taut belt will operate somewhat similarly, but presents maintenance difliculty in this structure or requires tensioning parts. The belt is preferably formed by looping and connecting the ends of a straight member, although chains and sprockets are deemed equivalent. The pins 63, 64 prevent the clearer from fallingas the drive is usually from one end only.

The clearer roll could quite conceivably be driven from another of the usual driven shafts, as shafts Ii, 13 and [5 all rotate in the same direction. Rolls l0, [2, M are more usually weight rolls not especially suited to use as a source of power. In structures where the top roll is driven, the belt would be crossed to form an 8 as a loop of the illustrated embodiments would not produce the essential result. 1

Having described my invention in connection with preferred embodiments and wishing not to be limited thereto but only by the scope of the following, I claim:

1. In a draft frame, feeding means, delivery means including afront delivery bottom roll, a driving. and supporting shaft for the said bottom roll, a rotatable clearer roll, a supporting shaft for said clearer roll, guide means on the frame for receiving an end of the clearer'roll'supporting shaft and to aid in positioning the clearer roll in contact with the bottom delivery roll, locking means for holdingthe' clearer roll shaft within said guide means, and means, including a closed loop, for connecting the bottom driving'and sup porting shaft and the rotatable clearer roll supporting shaft in driving relationship and for holding the clearer rollin contact with said bottomroll.--.

2. The invention of claim 1 further charac terized by the fact that'the clearer roll surface is polygonal'and constructed and arrangedso that its surface is periodically' out'of contact with said clearer roll' thereby providing an intermittent clearing action. 'a

" 3. In an apron type draftframe, an apron, apron tensioning means, feeding means, delivery means including a front delivery bottom roll,'a driving and supporting shaft for the'said bottom rol1-,'a rotatable clearer roll, a'supporting shaft for said clearer'roll, guide means on the frame for receiving an end of the clearer roll support ing shaft in locking engagement in a plurality of positionsand to aid in positioningthe clearing rollin' contact with said apron and with said bottom delivery IO1l.'0r in the alternative, in con tact with the bottom delivery rollonly and drive means. connecting the bottom 'roll 's'haft and the clearer 'roll'shaft." i.

5 sists of a plate having a plurality of guide slots and locking means associated with said slots, and elastic drive means connecting the delivery roll and the clearer roll shafts, whereby said clearer roll shaft is retained in the selected guide slot. 5

WHITWORTH F. BIRD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Williams et a1 Aug. 4, 1908 Batchelder July 4, 1939 Toenniessen Nov. 14, 1939 Dunleavy Aug. 14, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1891 Great Britain of 1892 Great Britain of 1910 Germany Feb. 8, 1935 Germany July 4, 1940 

